QDOBA Mexican Eats held a packed grand opening for its Campustown location at 711 S. Wright St. at 10:15 a.m. Monday after months of construction. It is just one of the Mexican-style fast-food chain’s 750 locations nationwide.
Casey Fralick, the general manager of the new storefront, talked about the public’s excitement about the restaurant’s opening.
“We had a line all the way down the block this morning; it was great,” Fralick said. “(The ribbon cutting) was fun. I haven’t done one of those before in all my years of running restaurants. People were here at five o’clock in the morning. I got here at 5 a.m. for opening day to get stuff set up, and there were people out sitting.”
Yuno Kimura, senior in FAA, was one such excited customer.
“I was very excited because I love QDOBA,” Kimura said. “I tried it back at home. I’ve been excited to see this place open, and after class today, I saw it was open, so I came right after class.”
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Kimura mentioned she prefers QDOBA to Chipotle due to the difference in meat.
“I liked QDOBA’s ground beef; that’s why I like QDOBA more,” Kimura said. “I also like their queso.”
Yoshi Kano, senior in LAS, said this was his first time at a QDOBA.
“I’m an international student,” Kano said. “I’m from Singapore, so I’m really excited to try this place. I’ve heard it’s similar to Chipotle, but I’ve never tried it yet, so I’m excited.”
Fralick said he emphasized customer satisfaction to ensure a successful opening.
“We spent weeks training — everybody getting everybody ready to make sure that the first person that walks in the door and the last person that walks in the door has the same experience,” Fralick said. “You serve good food with a good personality, (then) you get a place you want to go to.”
Fralick’s advice to people entering the industry is for them to work their way up.
“Starting from the bottom and working your way up is the best way to go because you get a chance to learn everything,” Fralick said. “It’s hard, but it’s worthwhile, and I absolutely love this industry. It’s just something I’ve grown, grown and grown with and love the opportunity to take care of customers, take care of people and build those relationships with the communities I work in.”
